Publications by authors named "O'Donovan P"

Introduction: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is caused by multiple clinical conditions such as cystic fibrosis and chronic pancreatitis (CP). Standard management of EPI includes pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) along with consultation with a dietitian. While PERTs have been on the market for several decades, newer publications on their clinical efficacy and safety raised the need for a comprehensive review of the literature.

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Background: To examine the burden of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), specifically the clinical impact of EPI on patients, their quality of life (QoL) and the cost-effectiveness of existing treatments.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using key search terms for the clinical, economic, and humanistic burden. Databases were searched from 2010 to 2022, with articles screened independently by 2 reviewers at abstract and full-text stage against pre-defined eligibility criteria.

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HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer accounts for 20-25% of all breast cancers. Predictive biomarkers of neoadjuvant therapy response are needed to better identify patients with early stage disease who may benefit from tailored treatments in the adjuvant setting. As part of the TCHL phase-II clinical trial (ICORG10-05/NCT01485926) whole exome DNA sequencing was carried out on normal-tumour pairs collected from 22 patients.

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Purpose: The Attune total knee arthroplasty system was introduced in 2013 to address lingering issues of patient dissatisfaction. However, recent literature reports concerns of early tibial tray debonding. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of radiolucent lines, survivorship and patient reported outcome-measures between the Attune system and the well-established Triathlon system.

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Article Synopsis
  • Glioma is a rare but aggressive brain tumor, with familial glioma being a genetically influenced form that makes up about 5% of cases.
  • Researchers conducted whole-genome sequencing on 203 individuals from 189 families with familial glioma, also validating findings in a separate group of 122 individuals.
  • The study identified significant variants in seven genes, particularly affecting tumor cell proliferation, highlighting the importance of these genes in understanding familial glioma.
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Background: Genomic variants which disrupt splicing are a major cause of rare genetic diseases. However, variants which lie outside of the canonical splice sites are difficult to interpret clinically. Improving the clinical interpretation of non-canonical splicing variants offers a major opportunity to uplift diagnostic yields from whole genome sequencing data.

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Background: Bronchiectasis can result from infectious, genetic, immunological and allergic causes. 60-80% of cases are idiopathic, but a well-recognised genetic cause is the motile ciliopathy, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). Diagnosis of PCD has management implications including addressing comorbidities, implementing genetic and fertility counselling and future access to PCD-specific treatments.

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Low-voltage transmission electron microscopy (≤80 kV) has many applications in imaging beam-sensitive samples, such as metallic nanoparticles, which may become damaged at higher voltages. To improve resolution, spherical aberration can be corrected for in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM); however, chromatic aberration may then dominate, limiting the ultimate resolution of the microscope. Using image simulations, we examine how a chromatic aberration corrector, different objective lenses, and different beam energy spreads each affect the image quality of a gold nanoparticle imaged at low voltages in a spherical aberration-corrected STEM.

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Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), where a converged electron probe is scanned over a sample's surface and an imaging, diffraction, or spectroscopic signal is measured as a function of probe position, is an extremely powerful tool for materials characterization. The widespread adoption of hardware aberration correction, direct electron detectors, and computational imaging methods have made STEM one of the most important tools for atomic-resolution materials science. Many of these imaging methods rely on accurate imaging and diffraction simulations in order to interpret experimental results.

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A compelling clinical question using the PICOT format sets the stage for a successful search for relevant evidence. This column describes the PICOT format with examples for each component and uses a specific example to demonstrate, through a first-person librarian narrative, how to conduct a literature search for relevant evidence.

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Background: Activation of the phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) pathway is a resistance mechanism to anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) therapy. This phase Ib trial was conducted to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of copanlisib, an intravenous (IV) pan-class I PI3K inhibitor, combined with trastuzumab.

Methods: Patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer and disease progression following at least one prior line of HER2 therapy in the metastatic setting were treated with copanlisib (45 or 60 mg) IV on days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle with a fixed dose of trastuzumab 2 mg/kg weekly.

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Background: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare and aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. While treatment of patients with MCL and their outcomes are previously published, the availability of heath economics evidence is unclear.

Objective: The aim of this paper was to conduct a comprehensive review of studies relating to economic evaluations, costs and resource use, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with MCL.

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Trastuzumab has significantly improved the overall survival of patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, outcomes can vary, with patients progressing within 1 year of treatment or exceptional cases of complete response to trastuzumab for ≥10 years. Identification of the underlying genomic aberrations of "exceptional responders (ExRs)" compared to "rapid non-responders (NRs)" increases our understanding of the mechanisms involved in MBC progression and identification of biomarkers of trastuzumab response and resistance.

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Prostaglandin (PG) E analogs are used clinically to ripen the cervix and induce labor. However, selective receptor agonists may have potential to improve induction response rates or manage unwanted uterine hypercontractility in conditions such as dysmenorrhea and preterm labor. To characterize their therapeutic value, PGE analogs were used to investigate the functional E-type prostanoid (EP) receptor population in isolated human uterus.

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Background: Follicular lymphoma (FL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) are types of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that develop in the B lymphocytes (also known as B cells).

Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive review of studies relating to cost effectiveness, costs and resource use, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with FL or MZL.

Methods: Three separate systematic reviews were conducted to identify all published evidence on cost effectiveness, costs and resource use, and HRQoL between 2007 and March 2017 using the MEDLINE, MEDLINE in-process, E-pubs ahead of print (Ovid SP), Embase (Ovid SP), NHS EED, and EconLit databases.

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Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a rare and aggressive disease, accounts for approximately 5% of all B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Evidence on the burden of this disease, for patients and healthcare providers, is scarce. Four systematic literature reviews were developed to identify epidemiological, real-world clinical, economic and humanistic burden data on patients with MCL.

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Follicular lymphoma (FL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) are two subtypes of indolent B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that account for approximately 20% and 12% of all NHLs, respectively. FL and MZL are rare conditions with orphan disease designations. We conducted a comprehensive review of the burden of FL and MZL that encompasses the epidemiological, real world clinical, economic, and humanistic impact of these diseases globally.

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The Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a collection of autosomal-recessive disorders characterised by tyrosinase-positive oculocutaneous albinism (OCA), bleeding diatheses and, in selected individuals, early-onset accelerated pulmonary fibrosis, neutropaenia and granulomatous colitis. We describe a young man who presented following a self-directed literature review prompted by severe bleeding complications following minor surgical and dental procedures in the context of OCA. HPS was clinically suspected, with subsequent genetic testing confirming biallelic mutations in the gene.

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Background: Student groups compare evidence-based practice (EBP) to actual practice defined by hospital policies in their clinical rotation sites. This article describes a pilot study evaluating this clinical learning activity.

Method: Student and faculty surveys were developed and piloted.

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Background: Increased awareness of leiomyosarcoma (LMS) risk during myomectomy or hysterectomy is essential. Objective and correct reasoning should prevail on any decision regarding the extent and type of surgery to employ. The anticipated risk of a sarcoma after myoma or uterus morcellation is low, and the frequency of leiomyosarcoma especially in women below the age of 40 is very rare.

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In recent years, training and education in endoscopic surgery has been critically reviewed. Clinicians, both surgeons as gynaecologist who perform endoscopic surgery without proper training of the specific psychomotor skills, are at higher risk to increased patient morbidity and mortality. Although the apprentice-tutor model has long been a successful approach for training of surgeons, recently, clinicians have recognised that endoscopic surgery requires an important training phase outside the operating theatre.

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Objective: The purpose of the present review is to provide a survey of the various measures of preventing adhesions used in hysteroscopic surgery.

Study Design: A systematic computerized literature search was conducted to provide a survey of the various measures used in hysteroscopic surgery to prevent adhesions. Finally, 29 studies were included in the analysis, showing a wide variety of methods and agents advocated in international literature.

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In recent years, training and education in endoscopic surgery has been critically reviewed. Clinicians, both surgeons as gynaecologist who perform endoscopic surgery without proper training of the specific psychomotor skills are at higher risk to increased patient morbidity and mortality. Although the apprentice-tutor model has long been a successful approach for training of surgeons, recently, clinicians have recognised that endoscopic surgery requires an important training phase outside the operating theatre.

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This paper presents an approach for automatically creating graphic design layouts using a new energy-based model derived from design principles. The model includes several new algorithms for analyzing graphic designs, including the prediction of perceived importance, alignment detection, and hierarchical segmentation. Given the model, we use optimization to synthesize new layouts for a variety of single-page graphic designs.

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